Double Life

Seven or eight

Suho's P.O.V.

"So that's how I ended up here, now a member of your band instead of BTS like I thought I was supposed to be. I guess seven was the magic number, not eight."

Grey finishes, the bitter tone in his words betraying years of suppressed hurt. The story of how he was part of Bangtan is, it's heartbreaking, It's the same reason Tao left, could even be why Lay has started his solo career. Everything got to be too much without enough time to breathe, to stop between shows and think about what we're doing, to talk to our parents. Grey grudgingly tolerates Baekhyun's hug from behind, gently unwrapping his arms and walking to the door, his mind obviously elsewhere.

"I'm gonna, I'm gonna go now."

He mutters, sliding on his runners and silently closing the door behind him. I open the door to offer a quick 'be safe' and 'see you tonight', only receiving a nod in return. Xuimin
tells me he almost flew back to America, the hurt from his latest phone call being too much. God knows why he doesn't just get a new number.

"Does anyone have any ideas how we're going to fix things before our live show in two days?"

I say, because as impossible as it is to fix years of hurts in two days, we really do need to patch things up before Grey runs out onto that stage. I'm met with silence, one of the things about being leader is everyone expects you to make to decisions. Everyone expects you to know what's supposed to happen, and how we're supposed to act, and what our next move is...and that must be how Grey felt. Overwhelmed.

"I'm gonna go see if I can find Grey, maybe he's at the training gym."

I say, heading out the door. Wishing Lay was here. Feeling overwhelmed myself. I barely hear Xuimin saying he'll take care of things.

Xuimin's P.O.V.

Suho seems lost in his thoughts as he heads out to track down Grey, the very thing he's told us not to do so many times. I scoop up the remaining pieces of Grey's phone and set them in a pile on the counter, repair a foreign statement to the small heap of broken fibers and screen pieces.

"You know Grey hasn't even been getting paid yet?"

I mutter angrily, which explains his reluctance to go shopping or get a new pair of shoes.

"Guys he, she actually saved my life once."

Baekhyun quietly says, my head whirling around to his direction.

"WHAT?!"

"No, well, yes, um, it was one of the times we all went clubbing together and I got kind of drunk? And there was that amazing rapper?"

We all nod, remembers the blond bombshell who tore up the stage.

"Well that, that was Grey."

"No. That can't be Grey. Grey makes inappropriate jokes, eats an entire loaf of white bread each day, and just. Just."

I try to leave "isn't hot." out of the picture, but really.

"Grey isn't hot! She was!"

"I KNOW!"

Baekhyun says, flat hand slamming into the table. Knowing Grey is, that, is going to make life a lot harder. A lot.